ADVANCE SCOUT: Hacktivism, Law Enforcement, and Literature

SITUATION:

This was a tough week to trim the list of comics coming out into our usual list of five titles to recommend, which is why we started a completely separate weekly feature called CAPE WATCH, which will be taking a look at hot mainstream titles each week. The indie publishers are bringing their A-game in hopes of contending with a huge week from Marvel and the DC heavy-hitters like Batman. IDW is continuing their big “Conspiracy” crossover event and releasing Samurai Jack, Jinnrise, and new series for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony and Judge Dredd.  Image heavy-hitters The Walking Dead and Pretty Deadly are dropping as well as Sex, Umbral and Rick Remender’s Deadly Class. In short, this week is HUGE.

That said, the list we’ve put together this week hits most of the major indie publishers and even has a rare entry from the folks at DC’s revamped Vertigo imprint.

Enjoy!

THIS WEEK’S SELECTIONS:

1. “Hacktivist #1″

“Hacktivist #1″
(w) Jackson Lanzing, Colin Kelly
(a) Marcus To
Archaia
$3.99

The Alyssa Milano-created series, originally intended to be released as a graphic novel, focuses on the power of the internet to drive revolutionary forces.

Behind all of it, though, are human personalities and all their attendant foibles and follies. With cybersecurity, government data intrusion, and continued unrest in middle eastern countries permeating the news of the day, this series could not be more topical or relevant. As such, it’s one that we’ll be keeping a close eye on here at Capeless, so be sure come back for the discussion later.

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2. “X-Files: Conspiracy – Ghostbusters #1″

“X-Files Conspiracy: Ghostbusters #1″
(w) Erik Burnham
(a) Salvador Navarro
IDW Publishing
$3.99

What’s good for the goose is good for the proverbial gander, and IDW is leaping into the crossover area with this latest installment of the Conspiracy event, which began in last week’s “X-Files: Conspiracy #1″.

Set to include all of their major licensed properties, including Transformers, X-Files, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the original spook-hunters themselves, it will be intriguing to see how the editors at IDW manage to find a way to string together such disparate franchises in a way that makes sense to readers who may only be vested in one particular area.

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3. “Unwritten Volume 2: Apocalypse #1″

“Unwritten Vol 2: Apocalypse #1″
(w) Mike Carey
(a) Peter Gross
Vertigo Comics
$3.99

The Vertigo imprint has undergone some major changes in recent months, from the departure of longtime editor Karen Berger to the surprising departures of several editors in the wake of DC’s decision to move their entire publishing operation to the DC Entertainment HQ in Burbank.

Unwritten has been a spot of particular brightness for a brand that has struggled to find its way over the last several years, tying in characters from across the literary spectrum into a single metatextual narrative which almost defies simple explanation.

We gave it our best shot when reading the first volume, which you can check out here. That said, this issue is intended to be a jumping on point for new readers. If Unwritten is a series that you’ve always wanted to try, or have never heard of until now, this is the perfect time to climb aboard.

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4. “Deadly Class #1″

“Deadly Class #1″
(w) Rick Remender
(a) Wes Craig
Image Comics
$3.50

There have been a number of titles in the last year that explored derivations on the idea of an academy for particularly gifted children. Whether talking about Five Weapons, Umbrella Academy, or Morning Glories, it is a concept which has seemingly grown larger and larger ever since the Harry Potter books captured the mainstream imagination more than a decade ago.

With that in mind, a title which sees Rick Remender take on this trope is one that immediately grabs interest, particularly as he is intent on creating an incredibly diverse cast of characters, some of whom are descended from history’s greatest figures.

Few writers do interpersonal intrigue and deception as well as Remender, so the halls of this particular school are sure to be a dangerous and deadly place to inhabit indeed.

Alex “Danger” Byers has a complete Advance Review HERE!

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5. “Judge Dredd: Mega-City Two #1″

“Judge Dredd: Mega-City Two #1″
(w) Douglas Wolk
(a) Ulises Farinas
IDW Publishing
$3.99

Judge Dredd is one of the most enduring characters to emerge from British comics. He has earned a place in pop culture lore for his uncompromising approach to “justice” and his willingness to do anything necessary to uphold it as he sees it.

With that in mind, consider what sort of shenanigans might ensure when you remove Dredd from his familiar setting and place him in an environment where laws are different on a block-to-block basis, the media is omnipresent, and he lacks many of the tools that he has come to rely on.

Keep an eye on this book. It should be very interesting.

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ANALYSIS

Good grief! Internet activism, law enforcement, education, literature, and conspiracy. We couldn’t have asked for more from this week’s indie selections!

See you next week!

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Thanks for checking out ADVANCE SCOUT! Be sure to check back next week for more recommendations, and don’t forget to share the link below!

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Josh Epstein is the Publisher for the Capeless Crusader website. He also hosts the weekly Infinite Crossover podcast in cooperation with Fanboys Inc. He’s a lifelong comic nerd, and “Superman” is the first word he ever read aloud. He is also an actor, singer, and resident of a real-world Smallville. contact: joshuadepstein@gmail.com

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